The Invasion of Auradon
by CretianStar
Summary: The next generation of villains are newly allied & the Invasion of Auradon begins. AU, Dark Jevie-centric with other ships floating around. Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My oh my, this is a brand new story!

I'm going to upload the first two or three chapters over the course of this week. The first two are taken from Auradon Spell Book. I linked a couple of chapters together and turned it into an arc with continuation! This idea was taken from Savannah, who in _January_ wanted a continuation of one of the dark Jevie chapters... it sparked this multi-chaptered story!

Go me, I mean I'm not writing my dissertation but never mind.

Enjoy!

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 ** _So this is a re-upload of Auradon Spell Book Chapter 46:_** ** _Arranged._**

When his father had proudly proclaimed that he had arranged a marriage for Jay, the young villain's world had come to a shuddering stop.

"You've done what?" He glared at Jafar, but by now such looks were par for the course and the older man ignored his son's fury.

"I've arranged a marriage that can only bring us boons." Jafar was smiling widely, his hands resting across his now bloated belly.

"Without consulting me?!" Jay hissed.

"This princess is perfect…"

"A princess?!" Jay spat, "Just because you failed to marry a princess doesn't mean I should be forced to follow in your disastrous footsteps. Please remember it was I that secured Agrabah and conquered the Kingdom. Now you decide that I need a princess?!" Jay whirled on his father, his Sultan robes spinning dramatically. The rather heated argument was taking in the throne room that had once seen Jasmine and Aladdin proudly proclaim their love for one another. Now though it held Jafar's black moods and Jay's ruthless decisions.

There was a sharp intake of breath at Jay's words and Jafar narrowed his eyes at his son.

"Mind your words Jay." The father warned and the pair faced off. "This marriage will go ahead. I don't care what happens but this is incredibly lucrative for Agrabah, with the talks of takeovers happening across the kingdoms, I refuse for us to be left behind in the sand because you threw a tantrum." Jafar now loomed over his eldest son and Jay was forced to remember that his dad was still an incredibly wicked man, not just the podgy advisor that sat on his left side in court meetings.

~J.A~

The princess was beyond Jay's expectations. He had been expecting a pampered blonde princess, coiffed to within an inch of her life and complaining of the heat. Instead, he was given a dark haired, wicked eyed beauty to devour. She gave as good as she got though. While the respective elders had left the two to get to know each other, Jay had found that Princess Evie had a sharp tongue.

Jay may grant his father an apology in this case – if his marriage was to be to anyone, Princess Evie seemed like a very good choice. They stood on a balcony overlooking the streets of Agrabah and he watched her eyes wander over every inch of the city shown to them. She asked calculated questions, and it would seem that her knowledge of kingdoms was extensive and detailed.

"You're not what I expected." He ventured.

"You expected dumb. I used to be that way but someone taught me it far better to a rule a kingdom with fear than it is with love." Evie had not taken her eyes off the horizon. "Fear can only be executed properly if you know the masses strengths and weaknesses. I decided to stop playing dumb in order to rule my kingdom properly." She turned to him and Jay was taken aback by the ferocity in her eyes.

"That was also unexpected."

"One must be prepared for the unexpected. Look at my mother – she grew lazy in her dotage and lost my kingdom to Snow White, now I intend to back my inheritance and make sure the people of the Enchanted Forest know who their true Queen is." Her words, spoken with such force, made something warm well up in Jay's chest. "But that can only happen with our alliance. Are you willing to become Sultan of Agrabah and King of the Enchanted Forest?" She grinned up at him, holding her hand out.

"Only if you are prepared to exercise your will as Sultana and Queen." Jay covered her hand with his.

"I was born for this position." She smirked, squeezing his fingers slightly. "I suppose we should tell our parents that they can sign the alliance papers… after all you and I have kingdoms to conquer."


	2. Chapter 2

A.N: Next part and like the last one, this is taken from the Spell Book. This has been edited though, I realised there was no Carlos! There has to be Carlos!

Enjoy!

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 ** _This is a re-upload of Auradon Spell Book Chapter 60 Guests of Honour._**

It was a wedding to end all weddings. The new Sultan of Agrabah wedded to a raven eyed princess, well the masses would have turned out to see it, even if they hadn't been forced to by Jafar's cruel handed guards.

Evie had looked resplendent in her wedding dress, the train held up by four servants as she strode up the aisle with her mother at her side. There Jay stood in his robes, and the ceremony passed for the two in a rather colourful, powerful blur. They were well aware of their parents lording it over what should be their day but they had much bigger plans. Between speeches, and proclamations Evie and Jay sat at the high table and doodled attack plans on napkins.

EQ had officially banned all work on this momentous day but the royal pair were unable to stop their plotting – it was a key moment in taking back the Enchanted Forest and word was that Snow White was pulling in all her reservists. Rumour was she was calling on King Adam and Queen Belle to support her in protecting what she had stolen.

The plans were swept under the table though when Maleficent and her daughter were announced into the room. Naturally Evie had sent the evil duo an invitation. They had been first in fact, with the takeover going down very shortly, Evie was not going to alienate two of the most powerful Villains in the world. She would need them on side and in return she would help them attack Aurora's kingdom after the Enchanted Forest fell between her newly manicured nails.

Rising from the top table, Evie and Jay swept both of the sorceresses a bow, bending themselves low much to their surprise of their parents. But Mal acknowledged them with a deep incline of the head and a chair was brought up for the two on the top table. Maleficent soon swept herself off, to scare some hapless servant into something or other and the three were left alone.

"We welcome you as esteemed guests of honour." Evie's smile was genuine and Mal was almost surprised at the emotion from the newly minted Sultana.

"How are the plans coming along?" Mal murmured, accepting a glass of viper wine and sipping politely. Her horns were much smaller than her mothers, but undoubtedly there, peeking through violet coloured hair.

"Almost complete, would you like me to send them through or would you like to look at them now?" Evie looked up at a servant, accepting the food before waving him away.

"If you can spare a moment, we'll look at them now, though I understand you will not be expected to leave the room." Mal surveyed it in slight distaste and Evie matched her look.

"Sadly not, my mother has issues if I am not centre of attention today. It is as we last discussed, we need Prince Ben out of the way before we can approach Auradonia with any real confidence. As worthless as they may be, I do not see the point in unnecessarily slaughtering our troops against the Beasts army." Evie was twirling her new gold band around her finger.

"My love, I'm going to circulate." Jay kissed her on the cheek and Evie smiled.

"Steal me something nice." She winked and with a grin Jay stood and left to make a lap of the room.

"You two are sickening." Mal hummed and Evie laughed.

"I never thought I would appreciate Mother's choice of husband for me, at least your mother has not foisted a marriage upon you." Evie went back to sketching a quick layout of Snow White's outer defences. She had been lucky in making an ally out of Mal; with the alliance, the evil fairy had lent Evie Proserpina the raven for the purposes of surveillance. The two women had spent a lot of time in Mal's dark castle on the Isle or in Agrabah making plans to destroy the defences of the Enchanted Forest and then Schöne Castle. But Evie was right, everything hinged on the kidnapping of Prince Ben and ultimately weakening morale.

"I am indeed lucky." Mal mused, tapping one long finger against a dark coloured lip. "I need something Evie."

"Name it." The blue haired Sultana reclined back in her chair, still maintaining a beautiful poise that her mother could not fault her for.

"I need somewhere to hide a fugitive." She murmured and Evie's eyes lit up. "Ben will have to be away from the mainland, Snow's animals are far too good at seeking out things, Prosperina has noted that Snow has a network of forest animals and my goblins aren't… efficient."

"Here. Hide him here." Evie waved a hand at the palace.

"Will that work?"

"Agrabah has already fallen to the tender mercies of my wonderful husband." Evie quietly explained. "There is nothing safer than the dungeons of Agrabah, nasty places so hot and humid and very secluded beneath the bowels of this place." Evie smirked. "No place better than here. I'll even give you the magic cipher so you can get in and out at a moment's notice. I know you're going to need to turn Ben if you want Schöne to fall properly." Evie grinned and Mal baulked for a moment.

"Meaning?"

"Oh puh-lease, our friendship may be young but I already know that your revenge on Audrey Beauty lies in taking her Prince from her and I don't just mean physically." Evie grinned and Mal had to smile.

"What a way to make Auradon fall by destroying their poster boy prince?" Mal's eyes flashed green and Evie let out a tinkling laugh, just as Jay sat back down.

"What's so funny my darling?" He kissed her hand in a greeting.

"Don't worry my dark one, you will see very soon." Evie's eyes were dark and full of malicious mirth.

"In that case, have you met Carlos De Vil?" Jay waved his hand at the white haired man that hovered on the second step. At his introduction he bowed low to the women sat above him.

"No? Though I have heard of your mother." Evie sat up to take an interest, and crooked a finger to draw him closer.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Carlos dipped his head again, still nervous of the Royalty above him.

"He is a technological genius and can make a trap for anything, naturally he has offered his services." Jay pulled a small bowl of olives towards him and slowly ate them.

"For what in return?"

"There's a fairy daughter I would like revenge on." Carlos' glare hardened and even Mal sat up now. The man didn't look like he had evil in him but maybe she was mistaken.

"Oh?" Evie enquired.

"A daughter of _the_ Fairy Godmother."

"Did she wrong you?" Evie said lightly.

"She had a personal hand in removing my mother to the Isle, it was her that gave away my mother's hiding spot and I would like a little payback for that." He growled and was shaken from his anger when Evie let out a tinkling laugh.

"Oh my darling De Vil, of course you do. We will discuss this later of course, but I am pleased to have you on board." Evie said as Mal scrunched up her nose.

"Is that all?" The purple haired witch frowned.

"It's enough for me, I am happy to offer my services as long as I have Jane." His dark eyes gleamed and Mal recalculated her snub. Maybe the pup was more evil than she thought.

"Oh the invasion of Auradon is going to be fun." Jay murmured as he kissed Evie once more.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Oh this is it! First new chapter.

Enjoy!

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With their honeymoon behind them, Evie and Jay readied themselves. They were in the final moments of planning as Mal strode into the room. Her jet black armour made her violet hair shine and Evie had to give herself a pat on the back; considering it a personal achievement that she could make the younger sorceress presentable and even more terrifying than she already was.

"Are we prepared?" Mal nods at the documents and Jay nods.

"The fleets are prepared to leave shortly for the Forest." He smiles and with a small bow to Mal and a kiss to Evie's forehead he leaves the two women in order to rally his troops.

"Are you ready?" Evie asks Mal as she pours a small glass of wine for the sorceress. There were no servants in this room as even the most loyal could not be trusted.

"Of course, Mother and I have prepared the spells perfectly and each should operate like clockwork, naturally my placement will ensure a smooth running to this. We just have to rely on the Isle to do their part." Mal accepts the glass and swallows the red liquid without hesitation. There's barely a tremor in her voice or hand but Evie recognises the tension in her ally's body. She knew the importance of this invasion; it was the sorceress' chance to prove to her mother that she is as evil as her and there was a lot of pride resting on it.

"Then let's get this party started." Evie grins and the two women sweep from the women to their respective ships.

~Auradon~

"A fleet has been sighted!" A messenger bursts into the room.

"What is this?!" Chad stands, angered that the underling had broken the Royal Protocol. It was dictated that nothing should interrupt the Royal Quarter Sessions and here some insubordinate junior had forced his way in.

"Hush Chad, what fleet? Where?" Ben is on his feet in a heartbeat, the quibbles of the Bayou beasts forgotten in the panic.

"Off Charmington coast." The man is cowed by the assembly of Royals and advisors in the room.

"A Villain Fleet?! Are you sure my good man?" The messenger nods frantically. "Dammit." Ben is glancing at Chad whose anger has subsided into fear. "We need to leave now. Session adjourned." He demands and there is not rebuke from the other members of the court, each of them panicked by the very real threat of Isle Villains.

"We need to assemble the Auradonia Defence" Eric Junior, Ariel's eldest son has started to bark orders and servants in all different royal liveries are soon scurrying off with orders from their masters and mistresses.

The Auradonia Defence had been a brain wave of Beast's; while the King may have once banished the villains to the Isle, he knew it was no way secure and that a back-up plan would always be needed. Belle had seen the goodness in her husband's idea and tailored it. The Auradonia Defence had been centralised in the neutral capital and would be funded equally by the different kingdoms. Citizens of each home kingdom would be enrolled into the Defence, so that there was a cohesive and united army ready should the Villains ever try to attack the peace of Auradon once more. For many years it had been a ceremonial army, never needed and only used for training exercises and crowd control. But Ben and Adam had discussed quietly the taking of Agrabah in the East and the rumours of unrest in the Southern Isles and both had supervised the training of the Defence's soldiers, fearing that it would be called into battle soon.

Two hours had barely passed since the messenger had burst into the room, but already the first soldiers were moving through Auradon, down towards the coast of Charmington. Ben knew it would take at least a day for the bulk of troops to arrive and assemble but the best and most loyal fighters were marching today, with Prince Ben leading them. It was hoped that this small part of the Defence could at least slow the progress of any advancing army before the reinforcements would push the invaders back to the Isle.

The small column of fighters marched down to the south west of Auradon. Ben, looking every inch the Royal Prince on his white steed rode past the ancestral seat of Chad and his family, on to the fisherman's homes that nestled along the sandy expanse of coastline. However the further towards the shoreline they got, the more the usual blue sky faded, replaced with a fog that made Ben uneasy.

The hundred or so quick response troops were disturbed by the rolling grey clouds that appeared to manifest from the ocean itself; Charmington was usually a spa kingdom, where many of the royals and peasants alike took the waters and generally felt much better about life after being there. Stormy days were rare and fog was rarer still. In all of his 20 years, Ben had not seen fog like this. It felt greasy on the skin and made his flesh itch. It grew thicker as more troops arrived and any chance of spotting the approaching villains grew slim.

"Men." He turned back to their wan faces and rallied them. "I don't like the fog, evacuate any folk left and get them up Cinderella's castle. They'll be safe there, urge anyone you see on the way back to turn towards the castle. I'd rather have the people secure." Ben dictated and there was a sudden bustle of activity. Two messengers raced back up the route to warn the Auradonia Defence of the changes in weather while the remaining fighters had organised themselves to evacuate the coastal villages.

An hour or so later and Ben was ready to turn back towards the welcome sight of Chad's castle. He surveyed the fog with distaste once more and turned his horse back, all set to leave when he stopped and listened hard.

"Help!" A small reedy voice called from somewhere to Ben's left. "Oh mother of Beast, someone please help me!" The thin female voice wrought the chivalric spirit in Ben and quickly he turned his unwilling mount towards the voice, further into the fog.

~Auradon~

"Hey, where's Ben?" EJ quizzed after he had checked on the poor tenants now sat, slightly awestruck, in Cindy's grand hall. Cinderella was doling out blankets and soup to the shivering masses while Charming was securing the boundaries of his castle and checking the defences.

"I thought he was with you?" Chad frowned as they finished hauling out another soup cauldron. The pair quickly moved away from listening ears, quietly conversing as to when they last saw Ben. They quickly realised neither could vouch for him since Ben had ordered the retreat this morning.

"Oh hell." EJ grunted. "Lumiere!" He shouted and the pair quickly ran down to the courtyard to find the old advisor. Some nasty twist of fate brought them to the front gates as a fearful whinny echoed across the hubbub of a courtyard in full military action. From the hill hurtled a familiar white horse. A white horse that was terrified; flanks pouring with swear, ears laid flat back and its eyes rolled wildly.

It would take Cindy's groomsman half an hour to calm the horse down from its nervous breakdown but it would be only five seconds for Chad and EJ to see the marking burnt into the saddle of the beast. The mark of the demon herself – the green and black symbol that had once marked a dead man's house… it was the mark of Maleficent.

How would they tell the King?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sunday uploads!

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While Maleficent orchestrated the fog from Hook's ship in the middle of the Strait of Ursula, her daughter had taken a smaller vessel, a rowboat in fact and landed on the sandy shores of Charmington.

She had seen through the fog and had taken Ben all too easily. Spying the figure turning back inland Mal stepped ashore, securing her magic around her and let out a pitiful cry for help. She saw the hesitation in his face, but she watched with a smile as his chivalry made him turn towards her. She had made the fog so thick he could barely see his horse's ears and he never saw Mal standing at his side. He had been dragged from his steed by her goblins while Mal laid her palm over the fine leather of the saddle and branded the mark onto the material. She had then loosed the beast, the creature terrified by the evil aura that Mal emanated had flew from the spot, heading back towards the sanctuary of Charmington. The beast would get there too soon, Mal frowned but rectified that, waving her fingers towards the disappearing hindquarters, ensuring that the white stallion would be confused for a while and would give her time to drag the furious Prince to the safety of Agrabah.

"Hello Your Highness." Her green eyes glittered, as Prince Ben now bound and gagged was forced to kneel at her feet. "You and I are going to take a little trip together, I hope you packed sun screen…where we're going is particularly hot..." He glared at her, mouthing the ragged cloth that had been stuffed between his teeth. But Mal seemed to think and turned back to him again. "I lie… you won't see the sun. Now get him on the boat, I'll cast the spell from the Jolly Roger." Mal snapped and Ben was hauled unceremoniously away from the safety of Charmington.

But while Mal and her mother orchestrated the kidnap, a sandstorm conjured by the Golden Cobra transported Jay, Evie and their army to the opposite side of Auradon. So while Mal sneered at the white soft sand of Charmington beaches, Evie had landed in the rocky harbour of the Enchanted Forest with a very real army. They were not a pale imitation, not one conjured by Maleficent's wicked magic, instead it was an army that moved in guerrilla warfare, an army that shifted along the endless forests all the while moving quickly towards Snow White's Castle. It took less than the day for the royal pair to reach the heart of The Enchanted Forest and for once Evie and Jay had eschewed the pomp and moved along in rags like peasants with their soldiers.

It had been planned meticulously; the invaders were just a big enough band to leave skilled fighters at outposts, starting to secure the southern and western borders of the Enchanted Forest. Snow White had clearly not learned anything from her stepmother as her security was shoddy at best. Evie planned on exploiting this weakness – Snow White had taken comfort in being the furthest kingdom from the Isle and it was like taking candy from a baby. But what Evie and Jay had also accounted for was that The Enchanted Forest was the only Kingdom that did not have a direct trade route to Auradonia; they always had to travel either through Mulan's kingdom, Tiana's or Belle's. The Enchanted Forest was also bordered by thick woodland on its west side and a mountain range on its south. It was the perfect base for the Villains to control the invasions from, it also meant that they could attack from the Isle to the south west and The Enchanted Forest from the north east.

The motley crews that counted as Snow White's soldiers were quickly ambushed and defeated by the superior soldiers of Agrabah. The royal couple had opted to follow in the footsteps of Evie's mother and chose to poison the villagers, putting them into an enchanted sleep until such a time they would be woken and called into service for their new King and Queen. The passes used by the locals of The Forest were being barred by magic, scouts sent ahead with the appropriate spells and charms would seal the borders and with the luck of the wicked, Auradon would not be aware that it had already been invaded. Carlos de Vil was part of this landing party, in fact it was that would be him trapping Snow White's birds and animals, alongside the Hungtindon family to ensure that no word left the boundaries of the Forest.

'Something his mother taught him well.' Evie mused as she watched the white haired villain set traps.

By sundown, Evie could already see Snow White's palace. Jay had started to wind spells around the camp they had created, it was a small group that remained beside the Sultan and Sultana, their most trusted and loyal troops that would siege the palace, preferably without bloodshed and two of those included Evie's Captains. Her captains had talents that benefited Evie, and her patronage benefited them. The first was Proserpina, a daughter of Diaval and like her father she was a hybrid of woman and raven and happy to assist her Queen in taking over the puerile world of Auradon.

Pina had intimately surveyed Snow White's Castle, and had learnt most of the weaknesses of the palace. It was through Pina that Evie had established that Snow White favoured a different castle to the one EQ had called home; maybe it was the bad memories, maybe it was a false sense of security but this palace one was much easier to take down than EQ's ever would have been. The new palace lacked the fortifications as it had been built with aesthetics not defence in mind. This made Evie's life a whole lot easier.

"Pina, continue along the mountain range and ensure that no villager runs ahead to our new neighbours, one would hate to spoil the surprise." Evie grinned as the woman changed and took flight. "James," Evie turned to address her other Captain. "James, would you mind getting the door for me." She nodded up at the castle that loomed before them but James Huntingdon gave a small bow and the Siege of Snow began.

Siege wasn't the right word. Evie had donned one of her smartest outdoor outfits for this; she had opted for a sapphire blue velvet coat, corseted about her waist which flared into long lapels, showing off the black silk lining. Her dark black fitted trousers paired with knee high black boots, and her dark blue hair was pulled up into a bun, with one of Jay's wedding gifts pinned neatly into the tresses.

But regardless of her outfit, which she admired in one of Snow White's many mirrors, siege was definitely not the term that could be applied to her band taking over the castle. Two apple smoke bombs thrown into the doorway knocked out the ceremonial guards and Ferdinand was quickly subdued by Jay and Carlos. The seven dwarves were nowhere in sight, but Evie dispatched James to find them with a wave of her fingers, while she stalked down the corridor, searching for her darling family.

"You know, stepsister of mine." Evie grimaced at the cobwebs of the castle she was now calling home. "You really should have learnt from your mother's mistakes." She smirked. "I expected your castle to put up more of a fight. I'm a little disappointed, you've gone soft." She shook her head mockingly at the older woman.

"You'll never get away with this." Snow hissed from where she had been bound on her throne.

"Oh now sister darling, of course I will. My mother married into this money, so halvsies sis." She grinned and turned to walk out. "Oh I almost forgot." She pulled a vial from her pocket and waggled it. "Remember that apple that mom gave you all that time ago…well I refined the recipe, who needs apples?" She held her breath and uncorked it under the other woman's nose. "Sweet dreams." She mocked as she re-stoppered the bottle.

"My love." Jay had walked in at the last moment, watching Snow fall into the enchanted slumber.

"Darling." Evie purred. "Tell me some good news." She rested her hands on his shoulder as he slipped his arms around her, holding her close.

"The first stage is complete my love. Upon Pina's return, we will send her to the Isle to give the news to Mal others." He kissed her squarely on the lips, ignoring the muffled complaints of smearing her lipstick.

"Now that is good news." She grins wickedly, cupping his face in one hand.

"Plus I bring you a gift." Jay says with a smile tucking a curl of hair behind his beloved's ear.

"So soon! Jay you shouldn't have."

"Oh you'll like this one. Carlos found them. Bring them forward!" He calls to the guard at the door and steps back from his wife. He watches the delight in Evie's eyes as a dark haired girl is dragged forwards, her hands bound behind her back. Blanche, Snow White's only child glares mutinously at the villains before her and snarls through the gag.

"Oh you found her! Wait you said them?" Evie frowns slightly.

"Why yes, you see James and Carlos, while searching for the Dwarves, found _Princess_ Blanche cavorting with a dwarf's son. The son of Dopey I believe, they were wrapped around one another in a young lover's embrace." Jay sighs dramatically as the young man is also hauled forwards and pushed to his knees before the pair. Evie evaluates the boy in front of her, grabbing his chin and turning his face this way and that to look at him more; he was thin, geeky and bespectacled and she notes how often his eyes dart from Evie's smug face to Blanche's angry one.

"Oh how precious." Evie turns to face the girl. "You know sweetheart, we are family after all and while it is utterly scandalous that you chose to lavish affections on someone who _isn't_ royalty… aren't you lucky _mommy_ wasn't awake to see it." She smirks and Blanche glares at the blue haired Queen, her eyes glancing to where Snow White slept against her bindings. "It's okay, I won't tell." Evie whispers but uncorks the bottle once more. Holding her breath she watches as the enchantment takes hold of the love-struck teens, both of whom collapse back onto the floor.

"Well, my evil one, shall we?" Jay holds out his hand and the pair escape the tacky throne room for something warmer and a little more sophisticated.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Okay, so this should be a Sunday upload, but I'm going to Wales tomorrow and that's a looong journey! Backstory time!

Enjoy the fifth chapter!

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"Carlos." The female voice broke through his daydream and he clenched his fist around empty air instead of that bloody fairy's wrist. He looked up to see Queen Evie step into his study. She smiled at him, and Carlos noted it was not her Queen smile, but a regular smile… one she usually reserved for Jay, Pina or Mal.

"Your Highness." He stood and swept her a bow before she waved at him to sit down, taking her seat opposite him, "May I help you at all?"

"As you know I'm waiting to move back to mother's old castle but I have been told that it is currently inhospitable after Snow White stripped it of its worth." Evie examined her nails with a look of distaste on her face. "It would appear most of the furnishings and essentials were moved to this shambolic excuse for a castle so while we are waiting for something a little sturdier…"

"Not that you need it now most of the Forest is asleep or locked away somewhere." Carlos said idly watching the smile flit across his Queen's face.

"It's sentimental…" She smirked, the pair letting out a small laugh at something like sentiment affecting their decisions. "But while we are forced to wait I thought we should discuss your fairy problems." Evie maintained a casual air but no-one could fault her posture, she managed to radiate an aura of natural power and truly it unnerved Carlos. He had grown up with his manic mother exuding lunacy, falling into excited frenzies at the mention of those four legged fiends. Evie's power was contained and rational, something Carlos could relate to, but her regal bearing altered the way each of them used their power.

"Ah." He nibbled his bottom lip and stared out of the mullion glass.

"What did Jane Faimere do? How did she rat your mother out?" Evie probed gently and Carlos side-eyed her. This was what unnerved him about Queen Evie; she would go from harsh and domineering to seductress in 0.3 seconds. Then she would follow it up with a sisterly concern for her poor victim, all before getting just what she wanted from them.

"When the Beast started to unify Auradon's kingdoms and drive the villains out, we know we were treated worse than slaves." Carlos sighed and sure enough Evie did remember the days of being penned up, waiting with no answers from stony faced guards. She had been no more than five, but she learnt that her pretty face did a lot when it came to sneaking contraband before they had been shipped over to the Isle. Her mother had used her angel faced daughter to ensure her make-up did not stop arriving.

"I recall." Evie said softly.

"The de Vils were one of the last villains to be rounded up. Beast started his attack in Villeneuve and left Auradonia until last, all but marooning its villains in the centre of Auradon." Carlos explained quietly. "That's where we were hiding, in a poorer side of Auradonia. I had made a friend, a young girl with an avid love for magic learning. We couldn't have been any more than six years old. She came to play every time her mother distributed aid to the poor folk. Her mother tried to meet mine, but I was quick to say that my mother was scared, she didn't like meeting new folk, it panicked her and naturally this kind creature backed off and gave me the food and necessities to take back."

"Ahh…" Evie had sat forward, genuinely interested in hearing Carlos' story.

"This happened for a few weeks and Beasts campaign finally hit the borders of Auradonia." Carlos huffed. "We were given pamphlets on who was still at large and it rendered mother all but housebound, that was incredibly stressful but her picture was plastered on page four of the pamphlet and six year old me became the connection with the outside world." Carlos shrugged and was startled when Evie stood to pour two glasses of dark blue liquid and place them on the table between them.

"Apple Bite." She tapped the glass to his. "It won't kill you I promise." She grinned wickedly but Carlos was too busy coughing at the foulness of the drink she had offered.

"You make that?!" He spluttered.

"With my own two hands. It's got a kick hasn't it?" Evie snickered and licked the last drops off her lips.

"That'd knock Hook's good hand off. Cor." He coughed once more and pushed the glass away from him as if it had offended him.

"Oh I'd love to test that." She laughed. "But continue." She kicked her ankles up on the desk in a very unqueenly manner before gesturing to Carlos who shook his head with a chuckle.

"Of course Your Highness, where was I?"

"Pamphlets." Evie prompted, still sipping her drink.

"Pamphlets." Carlos frowned at the memory but continued. "We thought we had managed to escape it. There was talk of the Isle and the exile of the Villains and the soldiers patrolled less regularly, Mum and I thought we would be able to get away with it. Then my friend came into the house without knocking." Carlos's face twisted in distaste.

"Jane?"

"Jane Faimere had come to see if I was able to come to school, that her darling Fairy Godmother mummy would be able to arrange transport and that she thought I was a very clever six year old, and it would be a travesty that I would be uneducated." Carlos spat the words and Evie poured him a smaller amount of Apple Bite. "She ran faster than I ever could and the next thing I knew, as Mum was hauling me from the house and we were being hauled to the Hulks." Carlos' voice had flattened and Evie let out a sigh.

"She was your friend." Evie said softly.

"We don't have friends." Carlos sneered.

"We have done." Evie's voice was still reserved and Carlos broke from his bad memories to look at his Queen. She looked rather small and tired all of a sudden. Her large regal presence deflated quickly at the recounting of her memories. "They killed my mentor." She murmured and one long finger traced the rim of her empty glass.

"Who?"

"I am the daughter of one Queen and a protégée of another." She nodded her head. "The Red Queen, the Queen of Hearts taught me all I had to know about ruling a kingdom. When we were first exiled, mother wasn't quite right in the head. She raved about makeup brands and I would find her coating apple cores with lipstick." Evie now smiled at the memory, but to a young child it had been disturbing.

"The Queen of Hearts? She tried to …"

"Escape." Evie said hollowly. "But not before she spent hours drilling into me how a Queen should rule. To a child I didn't realise her ways had often meant failure…so I absorbed everything the two women taught me – how to apply blusher and how to strike fear into men's hearts. I combined their advice and used my beauty to create fear." Evie's explanation finished with a hard hearted smile. "Then Auntie Hearty had a moment… she thought she was back in Wonderland and decided that the guards at the end of the bridge – you know before they blew it and installed magic instead?" Carlos nodded at the memory. "She decided that it was Mad Hatter and he was taunting her." Evie's laugh was empty and Carlos picked up the Apple Bite bottle and poured her another one.

"What then?" He locked his fingers around his own glass, the taste of Bite growing on him.

"How they thought a four foot four woman would be able to beat them with a rotten cucumber I'm not too sure but she was killed in the tussle." Evie let out a sigh and looked at Carlos with an unreadable expression on her face. There was a naked vulnerability in the pair and silently they acknowledged it with raised glasses.

"To the Fall of Auradon."

"To the Rise of the Forgotten." Evie slowly smiled.

"Let's give them hell." Carlos downed the rest of his drink without so much as a hiccup.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This is considerably shorter chapter, but I hope this works for you!

Enjoy!

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"We received a communique from the Enchanted Forest." EJ looked tired, his eyes were bloodshot and his hair a mess – quite unseemly for a prince. But to be fair his valet was now patrolling the coast of Okeanos protecting their homeland. It had been six weeks since Prince Ben had gone missing and there were constant reports of villainy around the edges of Auradon, most of them were jumpy.

"Saying?" Audrey was sat in the meeting, as were most of the junior royalty. All except for Blanche, who still hadn't shown up with either her parents or any troops.

"They've been snowed in, all of the passes used by the Forest dwellers have been closed up with snow, they suspect another trick akin to the one off Charmington." EJ reread the letter and sighed.

"At least they're alive and fighting though." Lonnie shed her armour and ran her fingers across the map. As neighbours to the Enchanted Forest, she thought of offering up able bodies to help clear the Shandao pass but knew that all able bodies were marching south to help locate the still missing Prince Ben.

There had been another attack on Auradon yesterday and all were reeling from it, EJ in particular. Ursula and her squalling minions had attacked Okeanos yesterday and had almost made it far enough in land to reach his home, until the assembling soldiers pushed them back into the sea. It had been touch and go for some time and EJ had finally seen the monster that had almost destroyed his mother's happiness. She was fierce and she was vicious, she'd injured many as she pushed her way inland but it had been Prince Eric himself that had forced the sea witch back into the heaving waves.

It had been a long and horrid battle, and in truth Auradon was reeling from the sudden attacks. There was barely time to gather one's thoughts before another problem floated into the rooms of royalties.

Like now for instance.

"Charmington has fallen." Cindy burst into the room and Chad caught his mother as she fell to her knees. "Tremaine." She gasps. "Lady Tremaine has taken my castle." She screeches. And there is a pregnant pause as all of the royalty assembled looked at one another in horror. Chad has no words of comfort for his mother and is pale from her admission.

"Now what." He says woodenly and no-one can provide answers.

~Isle~

"How can you have done this?!" Maleficent is raging. She is still on the Isle and she is now fuming at Ursula, who is looking somewhat cowed at the furious sorceress before her. "You have put the entire plan in jeopardy because you failed to take control of Okeanos." She seethed. "Give me one reason why I should not serve your children up as calamari at the next dinner." She looms over the stubby sea witch.

"It's not like I saw you offering help." Ursula suddenly hissed back and Maleficent is taken aback. "You remain here in your paltry castle instead of helping with your magic as you should!" Ursula snaps and is surprised to see a smile flit across the fairy's face.

"Now that's more like it. I was concerned that the reason we lost on the field at Okeanos was because you were scared…." Maleficent gave a wide smile and Ursula was unsure of the sorceress' next move; it wasn't exactly a secret that the woman was a little loopy. "Your attack helped the Tremaines' secure Okeanos' neighbour, Charmington has now fallen. Prepare yourself witch… for tomorrow we attack Schöne."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: A little longer than the last chapter! I am so happy you guys are enjoying this, it has taken me **months** to write!

Enjoy!

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Maleficent pondered Schöne as she crossed the waves in the dark of night. It was her old home and that had been the more important part. She had not taken control of Schöne when she cursed Aurora all those years ago; she had simply wanted to cause trouble for the King. It had been Aurora and her relentless little Prince that had angered Maleficent into wanting Schöne.

She felt her daughter appear at her side and she held back her smirk. Ahh Mal, forever wanting to stand by her side, and instead had to lurk in her shadow – there would be time for her offspring to prove herself, but right now… now Maleficent steeled herself as Schöne's jagged cliff face came into view.

"Do you know the plan daughter?" She asked crisply and Mal nodded. Maleficent stared down at her offspring and looked at her suddenly; she was the spitting image of herself as a child, only it had been black hair that nestled around her horns, not violet coloured. Their eyes though were identical, the same glowing green that indicated the strength of their magic and Maleficent felt a smile pull up her lips. She felt a strange welling sensation in her chest… was she actually proud of her daughter? Snapping her gaze back to the coast as they sailed silently into one of the harbours, she thought again.

Maleficent had been impressed by her daughter's clean kidnap of the Prince, also that the girl had decided to keep the royal brat in the dark prisons of Agrabah. The evil sorceress had noted the increased bird activity over the Isle, probably sent by one of those twittering princesses to scout for the missing royal. Of course they had been chased off by Diaval and his children but Maleficent had to give her daughter credit at the ingenuity of Agrabah.

"Of course, mother. Would you like to retrieve the princess and shall I distract her _mother._ " She spat the word, holding the same contempt for Aurora and Phillip as Maleficent did.

"Yes, I think I should take the princess home with us." Maleficent gave a twisted smile and nodded. "Is Gothel in position?" Mal nods again. "Give her the signal, tonight the west coast is ours." She grins and Mal vanishes from her side as the boats moor silently.

Since Charmington had fallen, Doctor Facilier and Jafar had secured its borders with a hefty whack of magic, managing to establish a boundary at the river that ran from the hills towards the sea, closest to the border with Okeanos. Tremaine, as far as she was concerned was done with the invasion, but was happy to supply troops that would march on either Auradonia or Okeanos, whichever way Maleficent ordered her to. Tonight Maleficent had split the troops to attack Schöne and Corona, the neighbouring kingdoms joined by a river that Maleficent had sailed right up without any problems. As Gothel bore towards the north shore, Maleficent and her daughter headed south and were soon within the perimeter of Aurora's castle.

"You know what to do girl, don't let me down." Maleficent gave the nod and Mal quickly changed; her dragon form was still fairly new to her, she wasn't entirely used to her wings but her mother had deemed the knowledge vital for the takeover of Auradon. She was smaller than her mother's form but powerful nonetheless as she advanced on the castle, she heard the alarmed cries of the men below her and Mal took great pleasure in landing atop one of the great towers.

While her daughter flew circles around the morons, Maleficent swept into Aurora's home without a single issue; troops were so scant, having been gathered in Auradonia that there were very few left to protect the home kingdoms anymore. Holding in her hand the small green sphere that would lead her to Audrey, Maleficent wove her way through the castle and grinned wickedly as she spotted her trying to escape.

"Not so fast girlie, you and I have a few matters to attend to." She sneered and grabbed the princess by the wrist. "Your mother needs to be taught a lesson and to do that you're going to pay a little visit to the Isle." Audrey tried screaming but there was no-one to hear –her father was on the battlements rallying his troops, her mother had fainted at the sight of the dragon and the three fairies were attending to the feeble Queen. She was dragged without grace or elegance to the carriage the goblins had pilfered from the royal stables and Audrey was taken into the black of night.

While Maleficent and her daughter executed their part of the plan perfectly, Gothel and Cruella (an unlikely duo but a powerful one nevertheless) invaded the province of Corona quite easily. With Carlos and Ginny Gothel running ahead as a vicious scouting party, the sleepy kingdom had little hope of winning.

"I knew you were a coward under it all." She sneered as she gripped Eugene's chin. "A good for nothing little thief. Luckily for you I don't have the power to execute you, but I will put my case to Maleficent that you'll be one of the first to go." She leered and watched the brunette princess struggle closer to Eugene. "What an ungrateful brat you were."

She was interrupted from a tirade by a messenger at the door, and Gothel left the royals of Corona in their cell, while she attended to other, more pressing matters – like informing the Sorceress that Corona had been a success. The West of Auradon was officially Evil.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Oh I know this is still a short one! I'm sorry, but I absolutely promise you that the chapter after this is longer. I promise!

Enjoy!

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"They're unstoppable!" Lonnie cried as she fled into the meeting room. She had just received word that her home had fallen to the Huns. With the intelligence suggesting that the entire north west was now in the hands of villains despair was rapidly encroaching into Auradonia.

She had fallen into Chad's arms sobbing realising that her mother and father were now trapped at the hands of the evil Huns. So far, it had seemed that none of the Royals of Auradon had been killed. They were all being held, undoubtedly for ransom and blackmail in the dungeons of their own homes, while those that had tormented them before were doing so once again. Now, their children were huddled in the supposed safety of Auradonia, with Cinderella mothering them as best she could. Lonnie looked tearfully at Jane, Chad, Jordan and Ali and composed herself better. She realised that since the taking of Agrabah, when Jordan and Ali had fled from their home to the safety of Auradon that matters were always going to go downhill.

"We had little understanding of just how dangerous this situation was." Fairy Godmother sat heavily in one of the chairs, Jane rushing to her mother's aid. The fairy looked tired; she was one of the last fae to have evaded capture by the villains – she had lost Flora, Fauna and Merryweather when Schöne fell when the fairies opted to remain with Aurora and Phillip, hoping to protect the pair the best that they could while that wretched daughter Mal hunted her way through the kingdom.

"We knew the unrest on the Isle was bad but we did not realise just how much power Maleficent had accumulated." Belle had walked in and dumped her helmet down onto the sideboard. "To have co-ordinated the villains was something we were not prepared for; we relied on their egos and competitive needs to stop them from alliancing and launching a scale attack like this."

"Jafar taking Agrabah started it." Ali cleared his throat and looked at his friends. His mother and father had been trapped in Agrabah, Genie had just managed to hurl Jordan's lamp at Ali, casting the pair to land in Auradon before he was trapped in his own lamp by a Golden Cobra. "Then he married his son off that blue haired bitch, that daughter of the Evil Queen and we should have realised they would not be comfortable with just Agrabah." He said woodenly and Lonnie sighed.

"We believe that The Forest has fallen, and that it was one of the first to fall." Belle rubbed a hand over her face, she was solidly refusing to acknowledge that her son was missing, she had put her heartache to one side. As a consequence her actions had become automatic, and there was no feeling or emotion in her. "If this is the case, the entire north west is villain controlled. Our only safety is that Villeneuve and the New Bayou are protected by the Great Woods and the Mountains of Sighs. The Bayou's landscapes are hard for anyone but locals to navigate so it may be safer for us to retreat there."

"You think Auradonia will fall?" Jane gasped, this was her home and she knew little beyond the walls of the neutral capital.

"I know it will fall." Belle stares out of the window, unaware of the tears flowing down the others faces, her own tears had stopped the moment that EJ had told her that Ben was missing. She looked around for EJ now, pulled slightly from her melancholy when she realised the dark haired Prince was missing. But then she realised that Okeanos was now in a vulnerable position, he was undoubtedly besides his parents fighting to sustain the borders.

~Okeanos~

"Submit girl, it will be a mercy for your family and people if you do." Ursula's voice echoed around the grand hall of the palace. She and her many children had pushed their way through the defences like a trident through sea foam and now she had Ariel's precious son pinned against the wall while the Queen stared helplessly.

"Ursula stop." She begged hoarsely and the sea witch cocked her head, as if she was examining the redhead before her.

"We submit." Eric stood beside his wife and he was repulsed by the smile that stretched across the witch's face.

"Have your darling little boy." One tentacle wrapped around his waist and hurled him effortlessly across the room, her delight was evident as he thudded to the floor and slid across the stone marble to the waiting embrace of his anxious parents.

"Take them to the top towers, ensure that the mermaid is nowhere near water. I don't need her contacting her royal kin." Ursula murmured to her eldest daughter, who nodded and barked orders to the others. The Sea Witch watched in pleasure as the three were borne away, out of her sight, leaving her in the spacious grand hall of her new home. She strode to the front doors, snatched a conch shell from one of the soldiers Tremaine had given her and lifted it to her lips. One solid blow sent a loud echo across the Strait and within moments she saw the green sparks arc across the sky. Maleficent had heard that Okeanos was now theirs.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: This is a longer one! The Invasion reaches the capital...dunh dunh dunhhhh.

I hope this lives up to the standards! Enjoy!

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True as Belle predicted, Auradonia fell. Chad and the others had tried to stand against the tirade but it was pointless. The onslaught had been non-stop on the capital. Even as the Beast roared and raged, his soldiers fell like skittle pins under the weight of the evil around them.

Captain Hook and his rotten crew swarmed like flies, Doctor Facilier wove magic around wary fighters and Ursula's offspring leeched across the city, draining all that they could from the wondrous heart of Auradon. Cinderella and Belle pushed the children from the city when they realised they were not going to win the fight. No matter how many criminals they took down, more seemed to rush at the failing Defence.

"Maleficent!" Beast suddenly roared, his shout reverberating around the city. The dragon stopped what she was doing (shooting flames at the Notre Dame Church) and landed with a bang in front of where the Beast stood. Villains and heroes alike scattered as her claws hit the ground but Adam stood firm against her. The dragon seemed to analyse him, cocking her head at him and with a small pop it was the woman that stood before him.

"Well if it isn't the mindless raging beast. The dog who went through an emo phase." Maleficent taunted, her staff in hand and her raven landing on her shoulder. "Boo hoo, no-one likes me, no-one gets me." She sneered and Adam tightened his grip on his sword.

"This has gone far enough Maleficent." Adam argued. "You have already invaded our land and taken my son. What more can you want?!"

"I want Auradon." She hissed, her eyes glowing green.

"I ask you for a merciful hour, for us to evacuate the innocent, the vulnerable." Adam held out a hand and the audience gasped. This was an admission of weakness, Adam knew Auradon would fall regardless.

"Why should I? Your _innocents…_ have spent many years torturing and snubbing us while we wasted away on the Isle." Maleficent's glared hardened and Adam swallowed hard.

"You did not deserve kindness." He said finally and Maleficent appeared to be giving it consideration. In fact, she was unaware that he was stalling, that FG, Belle and other parents were herding the younger ones out of the city, rushing them east towards the free states of Villeneuve and the New Bayou.

"Then you do not deserve mercy." She roared and without another word she took flight, her body folding into her dragon form with a practiced ease, releasing another spurt of fire on the church before flapping her leathery wings and going higher. There was a roar from villains and heroes alike and the battles commenced once more. Adam turned and he disappeared to find Belle. Kissing her hard on the mouth once she stared up at him tearfully, knowing what the kiss was – it was a goodbye. He was going to kill Maleficent even if she killed him.

"I love you." He said hoarsely. "With all of my heart, never forget that." He begged her and she smiled softly.

"Kill her, kill the woman that took our son." She demanded and with another searing kiss the couple turned and separated, ploughing their way into the battle.

Mal was watching through the Battle of Auradon through a crystal ball while she lounged in the Palace of Agrabah. The old Sultan had magnificent taste, it was a shame his interior decorating did not spread to the dungeons, otherwise she was sure his current situation would be more palatable. Her mother had made her sit this one out, expecting people to attack Agrabah while most of the Isle forces were taking over the capital. It was the tactic that any of the villains would have used…

Mal watched the scenes unfold with a rapidly hardening heart.

Adam had raced to the top of one of the tallest buildings that Auradonia boasted. He had used his archers to keep Maleficent's attention on them, forcing them to fire while they dodged away from her lashing claws and spurts of fire. Maleficent did not see Adam wait and then leap from the roof of the building, bearing down on her back, though she felt him and she tried desperately to shake him. It did not work though and she screeched in pain when the first sword plunged into her back, right between her wings. It was a move the evil fairy had not expected and she plummeted to the earth, flicking Adam from her back finally as she careened to the floor. She did not see Adam's death, she did not even know she caused when he landed on the hard stone with a nasty noise. All Maleficent remembered, even in her great form was the sight of a brunette woman hurtling towards her with a sword raised.

Mal watched her mother die with a mixture of pain and anger. Standing abruptly, two blasts of magic shot out of her hands and shattered the mirrors in the room she currently resided. The crystal ball smashed as it imploded and there was a screeching noise that Mal would later realise was her. She did not see what happened in Auradonia, after Queen Belle beheaded the Great Dragon.

There was a moment of stunned finality at the death of Maleficent. Belle had left the body of the great beast and rushed to her own Beast. She cradled him tearfully as the battle slowed to a halt around them. It would be the Fairy Godmother that would decide the next moment as she aimed her wand at Lady Tremaine.

"Give us an hour to evacuate the city and collect the dead." She demanded and Tremaine, still staring at the headless dragon nodded.

"You have one hour, anyone left behind will belong to us." The old woman's hard eyes looked at her old foe and there was soon a bustle of action from the Auradonians. Within forty five minute there was a stream of refugees flooding from the city towards the eastern territories of the New Bayou and Villeneuve. Strangely the villains kept to Tremaines word and not one of them attacked, leered or baited the escaping citizens. Instead they collected their own dead and solemnly moved towards the western side. It took Fairy Godmother and Cinderella to haul Belle away, asking two shellshocked guards to lift Adam's body onto a stretcher and bring him with them.

No-one expected Maleficent to fall. When Prosperina reached Evie with the news, the Queen immediately took a Cobra and magicked herself back to Agrabah where she found an emotionally dead Mal staring at a wall. One of the guards quietly told her that the young sorceress had been like that for two hours.

Evie did not cuddle her, or pull her close to her, but firmly took Mal by the elbow and made her move. She did not argue when Mal snapped at her, instead she looked ahead and grasped her arm tighter, leading the protesting fae to the Royal bedroom. She ran Mal a bath, all but stripped her and pushed her in the water.

It had been the right choice, and if Mal stayed under the water for a moment too long, a hand with a dark blue manicure would fish beneath the water, find a body part and drag the stubborn fae out from drowning herself. Another hour this went on for, and despite the splashes and the curses, Mal grudgingly noticed that Evie was still spotless. After what felt like the hundredth time, Mal finally gave up and glared at the blue haired Queen who looked archly back.

"Call yourself a villain." She tutted as she handed Mal two towels.

"What?"

"You call yourself a villain and you want to put your eternal flame out by drowning yourself in a bath tub." Evie raised one eyebrow.

"How dare you…."

"I dare because you need me to." Evie stood suddenly. "We don't have time to mourn your mother though believe me we all will, one of the greatest evils in this world has been snuffed out and we need to re-establish that evil." Evie demanded and Mal stared up at her. There was an emotion on Mal's face that was hard for Evie to recognise, it was sorrow. She had never seen Mal look sorrowful before, she rarely saw anyone but common-folk look sorrowful and they were never important enough for her. Now she knelt down to where Mal had curled up on the floor and cupped Mal's face.

"I don't know…" Mal admitted suddenly, hating her weakness.

"You do know. You know what your mom would have wanted." The blue haired queen had softened her tone.

"She'd have wanted me to finish the job."

"She'd want you to take ultimate revenge on the man that killed her." Evie's voice was now coaxing and she was pleased to see the flash of green in Mal's eyes.

"She'd want me to make sure Prince Ben was well and truly _mine._ " She sneered and Evie smiled at her.

"That's my girl. Now shall we get you dried and dressed, I've got this absolutely beautiful outfit that I had made with you in mind."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Ooohhkay. This is very dialogue heavy, and I am sorry but it was needed. Thank you for all my wonderful reviews, you make me so happy!

Enjoy!

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Since being captured Audrey had cursed every villain she could think of. It had been entirely un-princessy behaviour and her governess would have had a fit of the vapours but Audrey felt it was entirely justified. Since Maleficent had dragged her from Schöne, first she had been stuffed into a crate and loaded onto a ship, then she had been hauled inelegantly onto the dirt of the Isle which was emptier than she expected. She soon realised that most of its inhabitants were swarming across Auradon and the thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

There had been on brief rescue attempt but it had failed quite miserably, and she had been dragged back into a crate and she had felt and unfamiliar tingle of magic as she was blasted to her current home - Agrabah's cells. All in all it had been rather miserable and Audrey had felt entirely justified in swearing at the villains who had spoilt her Happily Ever After. And her dress, the beautiful turquoise fabric had been ripped in one of the many scuffles and she'd been fuming ever since.

"Shall I tell you a story?" Jay's soft voice broke through the gloom and the oppressive heat and Audrey stared blankly up at the man approaching her. She offered no sharp retort , and truly Jay didn't expect her to speak so he continued. "Once upon a time, there was a nasty man. He knew he was a nasty man, he freely admitted it and he revelled in it. His reign of evil was brief, short-lived due to his own stupidity but luckily for the nasty man he birthed a son who outstripped him in intelligence and determination."

"I imagine he beat him in arrogance as well." Audrey said dully.

"Actually you'd be wrong, the nasty man would always be more arrogant than his son, funny that." Jay's eyed hardened but his voice remained light. "Anyway, the son managed to do what the father could not; he took over the country his father had failed to conquer. Sure there was a little bloodshed, and a hefty dose of fear, but the son had seen the longevity needed for ruling a country." Jay clicked his fingers a stool appeared in front of the cage.

"You usually need a good heart to rule a country." Audrey hissed.

"No, not quite. See the father's takeover had been elaborate and ostentatious, striking fear into the hearts of the Royal Family but it was short-sighted and the son had realised that. So while the son grew up in poverty at the exiled edges of the kingdom, he slowly turned people against the Sultan."

"Why?" Audrey was glaring at him now.

"Because the Royal Family did not do _everyone_ favours." Jay's voice was slick and Audrey shivered. "There is _always_ someone that loses out, you can never make the world a fairer place….though from what I have heard about Schöne, it would appear that their Royal Princess barely even tried with her people."

"I beg your pardon?!" Audrey stood up and even though the world spun she was angry with his accusation.

"Schöne's people do not care about you. Sure you have your fairies and your little sidekicks and maybe the servants in your castle _but_ the regular ordinary people suffered for your dresses, shoes and extravagant parties. I believe it has been quite easy to turn them against you, I believe that Schöne is quite happy to submit, because we're not planning to tax them up to the eyeballs." Jay shrugged with a wicked smile. He leant against the bars of the cell and stared down at the dark haired princess.

"You're evil." She growled.

"Well done!" Jay's sarcasm made her slam her hands against the bars but he laughed. "But truly, that's the way to run a kingdom and it is something my father overlooked; if you're kind to the basest of people they will protect you any day of the week. Sure we'll have some problems with places like Corona, because Rapunzel was good to her citizens, but it didn't take much to turn the peasants of the Enchanted Forest against Snow White and her daughter. Spoilt little royals I gather the most commonly used phrase was. They almost welcomed James Huntingdon back into his old village." Jay smirked.

Audrey wanted to grab at his robes and yank him until his head hit the metal, but that wasn't princessy behaviour and she knew she was no match for the wall of muscle that taunted her on the other side.

"I hate you." She spat and she hated it when he laughed back at her.

"Good. I'd hate to please you princess. Now I have matters to attend to, and they are far more pressing than watching a brat like you sulk and curse. Though it has been amusing." He grinned and Audrey growled in frustration.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: It's another prison scene!

Enjoy!

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Ben truly did not know how long he had been down in the dank dungeons of Agrabah Palace. Time had lost all meaning and his only forms of light were the candles that either Mal or the guards would bring to him. That wasn't often. All he knew was that he hadn't seen anyone in this dank expanse of dungeon.

He had shed the heavy armour he'd been kidnapped in, and often sat as still as he could, moving every so often to a cool patch of wall to stop the sweat dripping down his body. He knew he was deep enough beneath the earth for the heat of Agrabah not to bother him, but the humidity in the room was almost unbearable.

He had started to crave Mal's visits because she brought with her fresh air and some kind of air conditioning spell that would cool the air around him. She usually also brought food. She had taunted him at first, gloating as the bars separated them and her wicked green eyes would dance with mirth but Ben had stoutly ignored her. Well he had until one flick of her wrist brought him from the other end of his cell crashing him up against the cast iron bars so he faced her.

"Never ignore me." She said silkily, grabbing his chin between her fingers and staring at him with a smirk.

"Like I could anyway." He shook off her touch and she let out a cold laugh, it had unnerved him because it was a laugh that promised _something._ That had all been at the start, now whenever a guard announced Mal's presence he would turn dutifully to face her and the pair would talk. Talking wasn't the right word, her gloating as she updated him on the Invasion of Auradon was hardly small talk. She told him gleefully that the western side had fallen, and then that the entire northern territories were hers. But Ben had noticed something. He had noticed a change in Mal.

At first she had shoved the food through the bars at him and watched him snaffle at it in case she suddenly took it away, (she did occasionally for own amusement). Then she came inside the cell with him, waving a hand at the guard who hovered. The prince was entirely mortal and unarmed, he posed little threat to her. While Ben wolfed down whatever food she brought him, he would watch her posture, and noted it became less arrogant and more and more relaxed around him. It was strange, as though she found his presence calming. Maybe it was his vulnerability that relaxed her, or that he had not tried to attack her, not even once. But Ben accidentally on purpose started touching her more, holding a hand out for the food she would bring, letting his fingers brush hers while keeping his face totally impassive. If she read minds, she didn't let on and instead Ben was pretty sure that she wasn't even aware of the shiver that would pass through her at his touch.

This time was different, she stormed into his holding cell and glared furiously at him. He could feel the anger roll off of her in waves but she said nothing. Instead she stood opposite him and fizzled with energy. Taking his moment, Ben decided what any good Prince should do … he kissed her. He kissed her hard. He had crossed the gap in two strides, pressed his lips to hers and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer until she was flush with him. He dimly registered her gasp but his neurons were firing and dancing in amazement at the feel of the fae in his hands. She tasted and felt so good.

Mal's brain had short circuited. She had come down to torture Ben into subservience and was entirely taken aback by his kiss. It melted her insides and fried her mind. All she could feel was his chapped lips on hers and then she felt the light bulb moment. _Prince Ben was finally hers to command._ She accepted his kiss and willingly gave one back, nipping his lip to remind him who was boss. When they drew back Mal briefly wondered if she looked as affected as he did; his dishevelled clothing was worse, his hair already greasy was now a mess, his lips were swollen and his pupils blown back as he stared hungrily down at her.

"We need to get you showered." She said, feeling his grime and sweat on her new outfit (Evie would roast her for it). He let out a dry chuckle that earned him a sharp look and he fell silent, holding his wrists out for the chains before allowing Mal to lead him from the dank cell up many stairs to a bathroom. The light was harsh and he wasn't used to either the glaring sun or the sparkling white marble of the bathroom. He rushed to shield his eyes as Mal tugged him towards the small pool that pretended to be a bath.

Neither of them spied Evie at the door. Despite her harsh words, her heart hurt for the purple haired fairy. But she knew Mal would not have reacted well to kind words and instead Evie had stepped into more authoritative shoes. She had not expected Mal to have hauled Prince Ben to the more elegant bathrooms, she would have expected her to have sluiced him down with a hose and bucket in the courtyard.

Evie narrowed her eyes and with a soft spell murmured from dark lips she saw the weakness in Mal's mental armour. The rent that had been caused by her mother's death had allowed affection to seep in. No, Evie looked harder at the other woman's aura; the affection had always been there but it had finally been released when Maleficent had died. The armour had cracked and it was an emotion, usually spurned that had been freed.

Interesting. Evie was not one to judge; she couldn't judge, knowing she was well and truly in love with Jay, she had given her heart to the dark haired man and had received his in return. The pair often put on a pompous act when with company, but with one another they gave themselves freely, sentiment and all. Though it had scared the hell out of them at first, they worked their way through the foreign emotions and now had a very strong bond. She couldn't help but smile at the strange sight, as Mal seemed disinterested in the Prince that was washing about two months of grime off, Evie slipped away, back to her boudoir to await Mal when she was good and ready.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: This is a long one (for me!), and I just hope it makes sense and doesn't rush through.

Enjoy!

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Only the three Kingdoms remained. The New Bayou, home of Tiana, Pocahontas' land Tideway and Belle's homeland of Villeneuve remained. They were raggedy strongholds against the might of the Isle armies. EQ and Jafar had taken Maleficent's place as Joint Heads of Schemes & Invasions but in reality it was Mal and Evie that were running the show. Jay gave to most of his wife's whims without a problem, preferring to ensure that the armies did not squabble between them, and he deployed Carlos as his second in tense situations; like when the Tremaines and the Hooks almost started a civil war. It would be Carlos that barked out orders for calm and strangely they obeyed the white haired man. Maybe it was his cold logic that scared them more than any insane raving.

Mal and Evie were now debating how to deal with the Bayou and Villeneuve, and whether to leave them as they were. There had been talk of sending the remaining Auradonians to the Isle but logic dictated that there were too Auradon survivors for the small Isle. Facilier had been furious at not taking his revenge on Tiana and had berated the Council for their sudden slowness at advancing the attack.

"What do you want that waste of land for?" Carlos, ever the businessman enquired. "It has no worth whatsoever, in fact we'll make a loss."

"You want the Fairy girl in Villeneuve." Facilier sneered. "I _know_ why you want resources heading to Villeneuve instead." He spat and instead of a reaction, the voodoo doctor was slightly unnerved to see a lazy smile spread across Carlos' face.

"I don't think our resources should go into either." He tapped his pen against the table. "By leaving this corner of Auradon to the ex-natives…" Carlos sat forward, twisting his pen in his hands. "We consolidate them into one place rather than scatter them, allowing them to work their way into our webs and find our weaknesses on a wider scale. Besides it is mostly the Royals living in these kingdoms, we have already seen high conversion success rates amongst the commoners left behind by their Royal Families." His mouth twisted into a dark smile but the newly created Villain Council still devolved into raucous arguments.

"That is enough!" Jay roared and silence fell with bitter resentment bubbling in the air. "We gave you these opportunities." He came out from the desk and swished his way into the middle of the room. The noise of his black robes was the only sound as his imposing figure spread through the room. "We gave you the invasion of Auradon and you have had the chance for petty revenge. Facilier I know you have cursed whole villages for fun. The New Bayou poses many problems, INCLUDING…" Jay raised his voice when the Doctor opened his mouth to protest. "Including guerrilla warfare. We would lose soldiers in droves and these are soldiers we need. We need to establish ourselves in the kingdoms we have already." Jay growled.

"The kingdom of Schöne has all but signed itself over to us. Charmington is ours. The Enchanted Forest is ours." Carlos stood beside Jay. "The peoples of these kingdoms were unhappy, they are much more malleable in joining our armies and spreading the _good word_ of joining us. They are trickling into Okeanos, into Mushin and Corona to create other supporters for us. Auradonia is rife with poverty and to retain our control on the conquered parts of Auradon we have to be smart. I am expecting you all to be smart." Carlos' gaze panned around the room before bowing to Evie and Mal who lingered in the doorway, arrival unannounced in the heat of the tension.

"I would hate for you to disappoint us." Evie's silky voice rang out across the silent room without raising her voice. "The sacrifices made by us…" There was a heavy moment when the attention briefly turned to Mal, "will not be in vain. We will not lose the best of the worst and then throw away our victories. We have had a fast attack, now our progress must be gradual. If we want to rule Auradon for the foreseeable future, I will not have it ruined now. Dismissed." She barked and the villains skulked away.

~The Four~

"What do you think we should do next?" The strange four were cloistered away in a room in Evie's new palace. Evie and Jay had detailed maps of Auradon's different kingdoms spread out on the table before them. Carlos was flicking through Auradonia refugee lists, putting stars next to certain names and circling others. On the small vanity beside him sat a stack of reports waiting for his eagle eye and quick mind and Mal stood at the window ruminating.

"What are our options?" Mal asked the glass.

"We leave the three remaining kingdoms as holdings for the riffraff." Evie sighed, rubbing a hand over her forehead.

"Running the risk of angering Facilier, and his magic is powerful." Jay slumped into his chair. The dreaming, the scheming was a very different reality from trying to maintain the threads of the Villains. Pride, stubbornness and ego were very hard to control when they had what wanted. Jafar was as good as controlling Agrabah, the Evil Queen had moved back into her old castle in the Forest, Cruella was enjoying herself most thoroughly in Corona and Maleficent had been laid to rest in the very centre of Auradonia. Petty squabbles were devolving into heated arguments amongst the lower ranks and Jay was pretty sure he found a grey hair the other day.

"I've got it." Carlos looked up suddenly. "Ben."

"What about him?" Mal turned back to the white haired man.

"No-one knows you've corrupted him right?" Carlos asks, Mal nods. "Let him 'escape', he'll come back as the conquering hero and he'll fight for Auradon." He said excitedly.

"Right?" Evie was bemused at where this hare-brained idea was running off to.

"In reality he belongs to Mal." Carlos said patiently. "But the Auradonians will trust any deal brokered with Ben involved…"

"You know that just might make sense?" Mal smiled.

"We also need to do something with the old Royalty." Evie sighed. "Proserpina reported that Gothel is extremely close to murdering that Fitzherbert ruffian, and I think a death will case uproar and strong rebellions."

"A death will give the Auradonians something to fight for; honour in avenging the dead you mean?" Jay fiddled with the bun on the top of his head and Evie nodded. "Well Ben can 'negotiate' the return of the old royals."

"It'll anger the villains." Mal pointed out.

"No it won't." Carlos said confidently. "They have the power, which is all they ever really wanted. They shifted their focus to individuals, making their revenge micro not macro. I'm sure I can convince them they're getting the better half of the deals."

"So Carlos, there should be some sort of ceremony right?" The white haired man nodded. "It really should really be between the younger generation rather than the elders right?"

"That makes sense…" Carlos said slowly, wary of where Evie's brain was leading.

"So, it should really be us four, but what about the Auradon side, Ben and … maybe Jane?" Her eyes were wicked and for a moment Carlos' heart stopped but he caught the gist and a slow smile spread across his face.

"You, Evie are a genius."

"I know."

~Ben~

"What if I don't want to leave you?" He murmured as he curled around Mal in her giant bed. He was still kept in the dungeons but it was a nicer cell, with natural light and a bed and he was often taken to her room to spend time with the purple haired fae.

"You have to do this for me." She rolls over in his arms to stare at him, feeling the green magic strengthen as he looked at her.

"You know I will do anything for you." He urged, cupping her face in his hand.

"Then I need you to do this." She kissed his nose and with a sigh he nods.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I am ... hesitant about this chapter. But I am unsure which bit needs tweaking. Leave your thoughts!

Enjoy!

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Belle had taken to walking her shores; at first it had been to avoid people, and then it had been to keep an eye on the seas, not that she could see much in the nasty fog that lingered at the water's edge and finally it had been to realise her grief. As she sat on the sand crying brokenly a sight had caught her eye and she had almost screamed in delight. She would know the mop of dark blonde hair anywhere.

When he washed up like a piece of rubbish, Ben had been taken back to Belle's castle which was stuffed with royal refugees. His mother tended to him day and night, though she feared that whatever spells Mal may have used on him would permanently keep him unconscious, after all Maleficent had enjoyed punishing people with sleeping spells. Despite the signs of life, Belle was anxious Ben may never wake up without true love's kiss, and Audrey was missing.

He even took longer longer to come round from the journey than the Villains had anticipated. Much to Evie's despair, she realised that Auradonians broke their news in a kinder manner than any Villain and it was excruciatingly slow. A buzz of restlessness fluttered across the conquered kingdoms. While waiting, Evie had been forced to parlay with Fairy Godmother, and the big ceremony she had wanted was kicked into the dust with the lack of time. She offered back Royal Ransoms like Rapunzel and her family because although they had wanted Ben to do it, they were running out of time to keep the old royalty alive; Gothel had wanted to push Eugene out of a tower window.

Evie and Jay stood at the borders of Villeneuve, heavily guarded as Rapunzel and Mulan, with their families were passed over to the waiting gang of scruffy Auradonians. Fairy Godmother had stepped forward, and Evie followed suit, the two close enough to touch, or kill one another.

"Why did you do this?" Fairy Godmother asked, away from the prying ears of those around them.

"My plan was never to kill the old royalty." Evie smiled, the dark glint in her eyes turning Godmother's stomach. "I simply got bored of them being in my land, and some of my people were more inclined to kill them, why waste royal blood?" She raised one eyebrow and Fairy Godmother had nothing to add. She turned away from the Queen without another word, back to the sobbing group of hostages.

~C.D.V~

Diplomacy was usually Carlos' mother tongue, alongside cunning and computers, but he was restless. He paced, he discarded plans as quickly as he took them up and he barely paid attention to the rabble's requests. He didn't know what was wrong with him, thankfully Jay knew. Cornering the younger white haired man, Jay hauled him into his and Evie's sitting room and thrust a Golden Cobra into his hands.

"Go, get your revenge man, have it out with Godmother's daughter, hex her, poison her, do something! Just stop wearing holes in the carpets!" Jay flapped a hand at the younger villain but before Carlos could say anything, Evie leapt up and stopped him from moving.

"What my useless husband is forgetting is that Jane is safely ensconced in Villeneuve Castle. Come with me." She beckoned to Carlos who stood and followed her through to one of her many sitting rooms. Carlos gasped at the mirror network before him; in the centre lay the remaining fragment of her mother's mirror but surrounding this one small piece was at least ten other mirrors all showing different scenes – some of the Kingdoms, some of Agrabah, some of locations Carlos couldn't identify. "This is _my_ Magic Mirror. I upgraded mothers." She shrugged and Carlos stared at the blue haired Queen in awe. "It's really quite simple magic." She tapped her finger under his chin, snapping his mouth closed.

"This is anything but simple magic! This is fantastic! This is wonderful!" Carlos started bouncing on the spot and only stopped when Jay clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"My wife's a nerd. You learn these things quite quickly." He sniggered even when Evie flicked him on the forehead.

"Shut it raisin boy." She arched one eyebrow and took her place in front of her mirror. "Magic Mirrors, powers that be, I have a quest, it is a mission for thee."

"As you command." A gravelly, entirely inhuman voice echoed around the room.

"I need to see Jane Faimere." Evie demanded and one of the satellite mirrors accordingly flickered to show Jane stood on a beach. "Carlos she's alone now. Use the Cobra and go." Evie urged and with a small hiss the white haired villain vanished from the throne room in a puff of white sand.

When he touched down on the beach, he was a few feet away from where Jane had sat herself on the sand. The weather was still awful, evil had practically permeated the atmosphere and the thick rolling fog that Maleficent had once conjured still clung to the coastline. Tucking the hand-sized cobra into his back pocket Carlos hesitated before stepping towards the solitary figure. He had taken a moment to examine the young woman before him. She was hunched on the sand, her arms locked around her knees, eyes seeing nothing in the fog but she still focused ahead of her. Her dark hair was bundled into a ponytail, strands missed and Carlos saw the tension in her body.

"Well Jane last time you ran from me." Carlos introduced himself, listening to her gasp as she struggled to her feet. "Not this time." He darted forwards and grabbed her wrist. "You're not running this time." He emphasised and she stared at him with fear in her eyes.

"Villain! You can't do this, you can't be here!" She gabbled.

"Do you remember who I am?" He held back the sneer.

"I **know** you're Carlos de Vil." She swallowed hard and tugged fruitlessly on her wrist.

"You put me on the Isle, Jane." Carlos' voice was hard. "You betrayed me."

"You're a Villain." She hissed.

"I was a kid!" He snapped and Jane froze. "I was six years old!"

"So was I!" She tried to wrench her arm free and was stunned when he pulled her closer. "I was six years old and I had been taught to protect Goodness." She was strangely angry. Carlos' appearance on the beach had broken the tension she had carried since the invasion began. "I was the only daughter of the Fairy Godmother, I was bullied by every Royal kid that I was forced to sit with, I was exiled from the company of ordinary people because I was _too_ _good_ for them and finally I found a friend. I found a friend in a boy my own age who didn't care who I was. Who let me play dragons without thinking I was weird, who would let me rattle on about the history of magic without whispering the word 'nerd' once." Jane hissed. "Then it turns out he lied to me." She snapped. "He was the son of one of the craziest villains that stalked Auradonia's streets. I was scared!" She finally snatched her wrist out of Carlos' grip.

"I never lied to you." Carlos was still fuming. This was not how he had envisioned his payback to go.

"You never told me your mother was puppy killer Cruella."

"So you could turn us in faster, have me rot in those hulks longer than the month we spent on them anyway!?" He spat.

"…The hulks? You went on the prison hulks?" Jane said uncertainly. "Children weren't meant to be on the hulks."

"Well most of us kids were shipped onto the hulks." Carlos had stepped back and crossed his arms. "It was an absolute party… raging fun being stuffed in the dark for so long. Though it did train us to appreciate the worst things in life…edible food was a luxury no villain would ever get." He was staring at her with hard eyes and Jane failed.

"What?"

"We got your scraps. Your rubbish came to the Isle first, if it was halfway edible you'd get one of us eating it, using it, drinking it."

"That's not what Mum said…" She gaped, she turned back to look at the dim outline of the castle.

"We were treated worse than your livestock." Carlos' voice was emotionless and Jane turned back to him. "I hope there's enough _kindness_ in the Villains to ensure that it doesn't happen to you as well."

"Ben is back." She bluffed her bravado and was unnerved when Carlos let out a laugh.

"Like that will change anything. You know this isn't quite how I planned it Jane Faimere but I think you're seeing Auradon without that nasty gold shimmer. The gilded façade is falling from your eyes. Your precious Kings and Queens have no compassion for the poor and the weak – it's why your mother was the only one distributing aid. Certainly didn't see old Cindy do it, or even the well-read Belle..." Carlos pulled the Cobra out from his pocket.

"You're wrong!" Jane suddenly shouted at him.

"Oh Jane, I am not wrong. Ask your dear mother who else helped her send 'care packages' to the Isle, and when roughly she stopped doing it. Ask _Queen Belle_ what she did to help the children of the Isle. Ask the Dwarves who created the prisoner lists who was sent to those hulks. I don't think they'll look you in the eye when they answer you." He pressed the gold snake once and with bright flash and a soft hiss he was gone, leaving a small patch of rich golden sand against the pale white.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I'm off to Disney tomorrow! PSA: There are only a few more chapters to this before it ends.

Enjoy!

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Finally after days of pandering to Ben who had been firmly kept in bed by his mother, he was told that his father had been killed by Maleficent. He had already guessed this as his dad had not come to visit him, but to hear that his mother-in-law killed his dad was a little tough to stomach, and then to realise his mother had avenged Adam's death by beheading Maleficent was all a little surreal.

He was now sat at the edge of the castle's grounds, he was hiding in the centre of the maze he had learnt as a child and staring at the bust of his parents that marked the centre point. Mal had not told him that it was their parents that killed one another and when he had learnt of it he had abruptly left the room and all but ran to the maze. He sat on the cold stone bench and looked at the carving; it showed his parents utterly in love, locked in an eternal waltz. He would never have that with Mal, his love for her was not pretty nor gentle; it was not ballroom waltzes it was fire and emotion, it was passion and rage. It was his cooling temper to her heated one. Staring harder at the bust, he realised dimly that he had his mother's temperament in this situation while Mal had the bursting anger of his father, only she erupted into a dragon not a beast.

"You never told me." He accused softly. He had grown accustomed to listening for the small pop of Mal's magic.

"Tell you what…" Her voice was just as quiet and he sighed.

"That your mother killed my father."

"Your mother killed my mother." Mal came from behind the hedge and the pair circled one another in the clearing.

"We can run one another in circles here." Ben murmured, noting that Mal was radiating worry, he had become adept to reading the minute signs the young woman gave. The slight tells of her emotions seemed plain as day to him, even if they didn't to those around her. "Tell me, if you can magic yourself in and out of Villeneuve why haven't you conquered the entirety of Auradon?" His voice was light.

"Because I have a point to prove." Mal's gaze narrowed as she caught sight of the bust. "I'm going to prove that as a Villain, I have more morals than the royalty of Auradon." She sneered. "Carlos de Vil and I discussed this – Auradonians are no better than us, you're just covered in gold and wealth but in reality your morals are so black and white that you are _worse_ than us." Mal continued. "You left us to rot on a tiny spit of land with barely anything to live on, by leaving Villeneuve, the New Bayou and Tidewater the survivors of the Invasion have a much larger tract of land to make home, land that will provide for them."

"That makes you a good person?" Ben shook his head in despair.

"Hell no. It just makes me better than your pampered princesses. Two different things." Mal glared.

"Do you know, I think you're right…." Ben also stood, crossing the clearing to take Mal in his arms, catching her completely unawares. "I think I am sick of pampered princesses and do-gooders. I am sick of clear cut morals and an utter ignorance of grey areas. What your mother did was evil and you know it." Ben offered and Mal nodded with a smile. "But then how my parents treated the next generation was abysmal."

"Big word, beast boy." Mal teased. "So what, you're gonna make it all better?"

"No…I'm going to let you take your revenge. I am King of whatever is left of Auradon, I offer it to you. Forever my Queen." He kissed her once more, dipping his head to kiss the life from her, leaving her clinging to his lapels. She didn't miss the flash of green in his eyes and she let a lazy smile spread across her face.

"Then we have one more moment left to play in this story." Mal whispered cupping his face in her hands.

"Then I want a Happily Ever After." Ben sighed.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: This is it, we are practically full circle and I really hope it doesn't disappoint. There is an epilogue of sorts but I've enjoyed this ride!

I struggled between the dark ending or the lighter ending. I opted for dark.

Enjoy!

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 ** _Okay this was a rewrite of Auradon Spell Book Chapter 39, A Twisted Happy Ending (with the ending majorly altered)._**

"What can I say?" The male voice echoed around the chamber and Audrey couldn't keep the smile from her face.

She watched as Ben strode through the open doorway and she held her breath as he locked eyes with her captor. Audrey knew Mal was fearsome; while she had been trapped beneath the surface of Agrabah, the fairy had been a visitor alongside other various villains that had come to point and laugh at her. Audrey was unsure as to why she had been brought back to Schöne, she barely recognised her childhood home, as in the brief time Mal had ruled in her kingdom, she had all but gutted the castle, leaving it a husk of its former magnificence. She had tried to shout at Mal, quiz her as to her family's location, but she received silence in return.

"What can you say King Ben?" The sorceress practically purred from her place on the dais. She was sat on a throne that did not belong to her and it made Audrey hiss in rage when she was first dragged before Mal.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Audrey felt a glimmer of hope and happiness; true love would prevail. At the sight of Ben striding through the door, Audrey's heart fluttered as he must have battled demons to get to the castle and all to save her, his princess. His final battle was the horned woman that had held her captive for so long.

Mal's features were twisted in a cruel smirk and Ben was smiling at her. Audrey didn't see the look the passed between the pair, she didn't see that Ben's charming smile momentarily disarmed the dark fairy. Ben did, he saw her eyes briefly fade to their usual grey and knew that despite taking on her mother's legacy and the emotionless nonsense that came with it… he made Mal feel.

"I can say, have you finished off Audrey yet?" He gestured with his sword to the princess that was held against the rough stone flooring.

"Ben…" Audrey's whisper was hoarse, her eyes terrified as she realised the gravity of her situation. She looked again at her Prince only to see the smile he aimed at Mal, it was a sweet, tender smile that used to be reserved for her. "Ben please..." She choked out.

His words had thrown her mind into chaos; this wasn't the Happy Ending she was destined for. She had been kidnapped by the Wicked Fairy, she had been held hostage, separated from her family and her good fairies. She had watched Auradon fall, kingdom by kingdom as the villains overran the borders… Audrey was meant to be part of the solution. She was meant to unify Auradon once more after it had been pulled apart by the Lost Villains, that's what she had been promised by the Fairies that had looked after mother, before she had been wrenched from their gasp by Maleficent. Audrey knew Auradon had had to crumble, but good would triumph over wickedness. In her place as Ben's Queen, Audrey would help stitch Auradon back together, she would return each princess to their rightful home, she would help choose patterns for the drapes, and new commemorative stained glass windows for the ballrooms in each Castle. She had thought of nothing but her future while she had been held in Agrabah. Now Ben had crossed a conquered Auradon to rescue her, good was supposed to triumph over Evil. Not ask Evil to to kill her.

"You want me to kill your pet?" Mal cocked her head to look at the King and a smile lifted the corner of her lips while she mulled over his words.

"Well I can't do it. It's not fitting for a King…" He let out a soft bark of laughter and leant against the unsheathed sword, the tip of which was buried between the flagstones.

"Ben! King Ben, please do not do this… not to me." Audrey suddenly screamed hauling herself to her feet in one desperate attempt to make him remember who he was. "Ben, we're supposed to marry in a beautiful pastel coloured ceremony, with doves, and rabbits and deer bearing the rings. We're supposed to banish the evil from Auradon, to reclaim our heritages and our rights as royals, to remove those that conspired against us! Ben you cannot side with her!" Audrey screeched and felt the chill in her core as he turned to look at her with hard eyes.

"No."

"But Ben! I have all the plans designed for our wedding, for our future castle that Auradon would build as a thank you! For the rooms that we would have and the Balls that we would host as kind rulers of a great unified kingdom!"

"You're so ... s _hallow._ " Ben's cold voice echoed around the room, and a moment passed between the pair. A moment where Ben realised the true superficiality of the woman before him, and when Audrey realised that he truly was lost to her.

Before she could utter another word, Audrey realised something was happening, even as she struggled towards the man in the centre of the room, she recognised the pull of the magic now niggling deep within her gut and she turned to face a different corner of the room. The eerie glow above the spinning wheel that made her heart plummet, but before she could cry out in despair it was the last conscious thought in her head. Now, as fate dictated the curse took over Audrey's mind and as docile as a lamb, she put herself into her enchanted sleep with one gentle touch on the spindle. All the while Ben, her supposed true love, had crossed the throne room in long strides, taken the evil horned woman by the waist and kissed her soundly. A protest barely slipped from Mal's lips as she wound her fingers into his hair, knocking his crown from his head. Neither had witnessed the Princess falling into her famed slumber.

"But I suppose you think that that is fitting for a King." She said breathlessly as he pulled away. He slipped to one knee, kneeling before her.

"It is for a king who now swears allegiance to the Mistress of the Universe." He bows his head until he feels Mal's gentle touch.

"I suppose you think that's supposed to sweeten me up." Mal raised her eyebrow and solidly ignored the flutter in her stomach at his cheeky smile.

"I would have you no other way." He said with a wink and kissed her again. "What happens now?" He said, his heart racing as he pulled back from her slightly.

"Now, we have a kingdom to run and people to deal with. Mother used to rave about conquering kingdoms but she never had a long term plan." Mal shook her head, briefly caught up in thoughts of her mother.

"Is this moment done, can I have my Happily Ever After with you now?" Ben murmured, cupping her chin in his hand.

"Villains do not get Happily Ever Afters. We usually do not want them." Mal said lightly and watched the confusion in Ben's eyes. "But for you, I think I can accept a Happily Ever After." She sighed and leant up to kiss him once more. "We need to get out of here, Evie needs us."

"You need one more thing." Ben nods at Audrey's prone form and Mal sighs.

"There's still too much good in you but fine." She summons her staff and with a broad gesture the room changes. "It's just as well I didn't like this castle enough to keep it." She says archly.

"Well I didn't travel alone. Two birds one stone." Ben answers and the pair vanish in a cloud of green dust, leaving behind Audrey, now resting on a bed with a black rose in her hands.

Chad had travelled with Ben. The King had told him to wait an hour before entering with the cavalry, that he was hoping to find Audrey without making Mal aware of his presence there. Chad didn't know that was a lie…

When the hour was up, Chad moved quietly up the staircase that used to lead to the Throne Room, only now there was Audrey, laid out on a bed, with the spinning wheel in the corner. Letting out an anguished cry, Chad ran forwards to kiss her on the lips, kicking Ben's fallen crown in his haste to reach her. But from the moment his lips touched hers, instead of a glorious reunion, the pair would lay side by side one another until Mal saw fit to release them from her enchantment.

~E&J~

"So we are leaving the three remaining Kingdoms?" Ben turned inquisitively to the blue haired Queen that dominated the room.

"We are." She nodded. "It makes more sense than to try and cram them on the Isle. We may be evil but we are more humane than those that banished our families. Besides, for them to know that their once prosperous kingdoms are now in the hands of villains, and for them to watch it just across the borders is far more fun." She grinned and Ben shivered. The villains were taking a lot to get used to, the daily occurrences of petty evil went against his grain but whenever he laid eyes on Mal it was all worth it.

"So now what?" Carlos taps his pen on the table.

"Now, we rule." Jay smiles, taking Evie's hand and kissing it, regardless of the audience.

"In that case, we have issues in the Northern territories and we need to start integrating the local communities into our hierarchies." Carlos took out his ledger and flicked it open.

"That is why Carlos is the business man." Evie winked at Ben who frowned.

"Well I can help you here, I know a good chunk of the heads of local communities and I can give you character references. As King I did try to get to know my people, though the size of the country made it much harder. I imagine many of the Heads of State I met have been carted off to the Three Territories so we need to create a network of people that can be trusted that are also moral enough to look after the locals." Ben moved closer to Carlos to examine the maps in his file.

"That's why he was going to be King." Mal smiled and Evie let out a laugh.

"I have a meeting with Proserpina and the Huntsman. Carlos, leave the Enchanted Forest to me, I am more than content to deal with the people of my Kingdom."

"Ditto with me and Schöne." Mal shrugged. "I might as well work out which peasants are worth keeping." She grinned and the two women left, taking the appropriate files with them.

"Gentlemen, if you do not mind. Agrabah needs my attention." Jay nodded, leaving Carlos and Ben to pore over the documents together, the pair barely aware of the other villains as they talked strategies and leadership between them.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: This is it. This is the final instalment - the Epilogue as such. I might write one shots in this universe but I don't think I'm adding to this any more!

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, you made me smile!

Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm feeling particularly wicked today, any ideas?" Mal hummed, tapping the teacup with a long purple coloured nail.

"Oh I already had my fun today. I _finally_ got round to waking my little step-family and I politely informed Snow White of her daughter's behaviour. I imagined quite correctly that the Son of Dopey was not the marriage material Snow White had in mind for her daughter and I had the pleasure of watching them scream at each other for twenty minutes." Evie's nose wrinkled in delight at the memory and Mal chuckled.

"Then what?"

"Then I evicted them under Prosie's watchful eye to the New Bayou. All four of them together." Evie ran her tongue along her teeth and sighed contently.

"You are devious." Mal complimented before the pair fell into a brief silence.

"You know they won't get along forever." Evie said idly to Mal, twirling her blue hair around her fingers.

"Who?" The violet haired sorceress sipped her coffee as the pair sat on the balcony in the Enchanted Forest, overlooking the crystal blue waters.

"The Villains." Evie said drily. "There'll be some fight, some tiff, some ego wounded that will kick off a fight and bing bam boom we could all end up back on the Isle again." Evie pulled a face at her camomile tea – Jay was on some weird health kick and she was suffering as a result.

"Eh, _they_ might end up back on the Isle." Mal smiled to the horizon, "You have Agrabah, which I doubt will ever slip from Jay's control and I know I won't end up on that spit of land. I have Ben by my side. He has the inheritance rights to Villeneuve." She shrugged and Evie let out a soft laugh.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Mal Bertha Vis fell in love." She was smirking and dodged Mal's kick.

"I am not…"

"My little Evil Fairy has all grown up and fallen in love with a bona fide King." Evie held a hand over her heart and cooed. She also snorted with laughter when Mal hurled teacakes at her.

"How regal." Mal growled, lobbing another cake at her friend. "That snort was horrific."

"Much like my ability to dodge cake, you have dodged admitting you love Ben. I can see it in your face when he walks into a room. You're proud of him and you like him standing by your side." Evie's tone was a little more serious now. "I like that Jay and I are in love, I like doing something none of our parents couldn't do, and I don't just mean conquering Auradon…which we did spectacularly by the way."

"You mean fall in love?" Mal said in a quiet voice.

"She means fall in love." Two masculine figures lurked behind the curtains of the balcony door and were forced to dart aside as Evie launched her teacup at one of them.

"E, was that camomile?" Jay raised a brow and laughed when his wife stuck out her tongue. "You're wasting the good tea?!" He huffed out a breath before sitting on the stone wall beside his Queen, taking her hand and kissing her fingers lightly.

"Please, you two make me ill." Mal let out a dramatic sigh. "If you keep making eyes at each other _I_ will throw camomile at the pair of you." She warned but it was light hearted; Ben had followed in behind Jay and had sat beside Mal, twining his fingers with hers. He was undoubtedly whispering sweet nothings in the fairy's ear and Evie held back a smile at the lightness in Mal's eyes. She was already planning Mal's wedding dress, even if she knew that it would be some time before the sorceress would give into that particular temptation; right now the purple haired fae was content to be a Mistress of the Universe and keep Ben at her side.

"Where's Carlos?" Evie whispered to Jay as he shifted closer, the Royal Couples were practically on top of one another.

"Oh!" Jay pulled back with a laugh at her pout. "I forgot to tell you. We had a … turncoat recently." He watched the amazement on Evie's face, swiftly replaced by concern and then what looked like the start of her hatching a revenge plan. "No no, someone from Auradon defected to us." Jay soothed her quickly, leaving both Evie and Mal perplexed.

"Jane Faimere." Evie suddenly realised. "Ah, that's where Carlos is." She couldn't help but grin at the thought of the white haired villain. She hoped he would be as happy as she was right now. While Jay poured more tea, she stood up to stare out at the view; she could see a faint outline of Agrabah in the distance over the Seas and Evie smiled to herself.

She had first met Jay on a balcony once upon a time, she had been planning her takeover from the moment her mother had suggested a marriage, and now she had what she wanted. Evie knew that keeping her power would not be easy, but she had no doubt that she would enforce her will on people, and if she didn't then Mal would. That girl was 99% wicked and that 1% of love was shared between Evie, Carlos, Jay and Ben.

Jay's presence was warm at her back and his hand covered hers as it rested on the rough stone.

"Are there any more kingdoms we can conquer?" He murmured to her and felt her gentle laugh against his chest.

"Many more my love. Many more." She turned and kissed him.


End file.
